It is hard not to be cheered by the story of Fawad Ahmed, the leg spinner who fled Pakistan after facing religious persecution and has been granted Australian citizenship in time to be considered for the Ashes this summer. Yes, the speed with which his case was waved through reminds one of the Zola Budd affair, but the England team has its share of players with exotic backgrounds. And Ahmed's treatment marks a welcome change from the way refugees have been treated in Australia in recent years. But the enthusiasm for making Ahmed an Australian citizen does support the view ...
The Anglo-American Ronald Tree sat as Conservative MP for Harborough MP between 1933 and 1945. Penelope Tree, the daughter he had with his his second wife Marietta, was a celebrated fashion model in the swinging sixties. And Penelope was married for a while to the musician Ricky Fataar who, among many other things, was a member of The Rutles. A clear winner of Trivial Fact of the Day, I think. Later. More about the Trees here.
Another day, another BBC scandal. Other than the enormous payoffs to axed staff there is also the small matter that the BBC has wasted £300 million on the failed digital archive and huge logistical misjudgements like moving to Salford and the handling of the new HQ. The BBC is funded by a tax in all but name yet we really only have a slight and indirect democratic say on monumental decisions like the move to Salford a.k.a. the bane of every talking heads life. I have previously commented on this blog that the BBC should be turned into a cooperative ...
In a word: awful ( tl;dr version under here ) So if you've been wondering where I am, now you know. I'm not going to promise to update more frequently from now on because I'm not better. But there may be the odd political rant. And I might manage to update one or other of my silly tumblrs. [IMG: [personal profile] ] magister has suggested I record something for the audio blog, if only so you can all hear my flu voice, which he describes as Zombie Mr Grimsdyke's Daughter. One thing which would be great, if you've got a ...
Typing that headline pained me. But it's true, at least on the issue of an amnesty for illegal immigrants. Compare and contrast... Here's what London Mayor Boris Johnson said today on his LBC call-in show today: "We should have an amnesty. We've got people who've got in here illegally. They are not engaged with the economy and being honest with the system." And here's how Nick casually dumped the party's policy three months ago: ... it was seen by many people as a reward for those who have broken the law. And so it risked undermining public confidence in the ...
If there is one issue that could unite Social Liberal Forum co-chair Gareth Epps and Danny Alexander, it's beer. Gareth is a huge supporter of the Fair Deal for your local campaign, as any self-respecting CAMRA member should be. Danny is also a huge supporter of the micro breweries in his constituency. I spent a very pleasant evening sampling Loch Ness Brewery's wares with his staff last Summer and hope to do the same next month. It was the Cairngorm Brewery, though, who responded to Harriet Harman's insult of Danny Alexander by producing a Ginger Rodent beer. Tonight, that beer ...
[IMG: moscow burger] Well, that seems to be the record for someone staying inside an airport transit area, set by Iranian Mehran Karimi Nasseri. He stayed in the transit lounge of Charles de Gaulle airport for 18 years. As for Snowden's current reported hideout of Moscow's Sheremtyevo airport, Jill Lawless writes: Iranian human rights activist Zahra Kamalfar spent more than nine months in the airport's transit lounge with her two children in 2006-2007 before Canada granted her asylum. Somali refugees spent months in the transit area, begging for food from passing passengers. As the media can't find Snowden, they have ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 332nd weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (23-29 June, 2013), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Oh no, it's ...
I am not as well informed as I used to be about who's with who... I was at the Starfury Return to the 11th Hour Doctor Who convention in Birmingham this weekend which happened to be Catherine Tate's first ever convention. She was brilliant - funny, insightful and so genuinely appreciative of the fans. I will type up my copious notes from her session later, but I just wanted to share with you one little thing. While she was giving her talk, a bloke I hadn't seen all weekend was sitting at the side of the stage. I had no ...
This one's on Human Nature
Tue 2nd
18:04
Sarah Teather on landlord immigration checks: "I just foresee an enormous amount of misery"
[IMG: Sarah Teather] Sarah Teather was interviewed on The World at One about the Government's plans to make landlords check an individual's immigration status when they came to rent a property. She said that unless there were drastic changes to the plans, she couldn't see herself voting for it and she said that Liberal Democrat MPs weren't happy about it either. She said she was worried that landlords would simply not bother to let their properties to people whose immigration status may be in doubt. She added that if the Government modelled this new system on the hotline for employers ...
Tue 2nd
17:00Liberal Youth Activate gives the new Liberal Youth leadership a renewed focus on Further Education
[IMG: liberalyouth] I write post Activate, Liberal Youth's flagship training weekend. This year, it also included policy debates and constitutional amendments - two of which were on Further Education. Liberal Youth's leadership on Further Education has improved significantly over the past year, with Freshers Fairs conducted in FE institutions for the first time, as well as training for regional chairs on how to engage with Further Education students in their areas. I've demanded much better from the Liberal Youth Executive for 6 years, arguing that setting our foundations in Further Education would make the Liberal Democrats totally unique from other ...
Sometimes Twitter really is great and most of those times are when I get to see a story that I would never have seen otherwise. Today that story was entitled Hang up or I won't serve you: Sainsbury's worker gives shopper 'lecture on checkout etiquette' and was in the London Evening Standard. A young woman called Jo Clarke was talking on her mobile phone when she got to the checkout and the checkout assistant informed her that she wouldn't be carrying on putting her items through the till until she got off her phone. Miss Clarke has since slammed the ...
Vince Cable has been in Edinburgh today to launch the fourth in the series of "Scotland Analysis" papers produced by the UK Government about the effect of independence for Scotland on a variety of issues. Today, the spotlight is on business regulation and the changes that independence would force on businesses both in Scotland and the rest of the UK with two separate regulatory systems to get round. The example Vince cited on a Radio Scotland interview this morning (which you can listen to here) was a simple one of buying petrol on either side of the border, having to ...
[IMG: schoolsign] Michael Gove has had another 'good idea', produced without any reference to the professionals who will have to implement it, nor to the general public who will have to work around it. This time he is keen to allow all schools to set their own term dates, in line with the freedom already granted to academies and free schools. It sounds like a superficial change, but those of us who have examined the issue in depth know that the implications could be far greater than you might imagine. Some eight years ago I attended a series of meetings ...
Nick Clegg was quick off the mark yesterday to attack the latest manifestations of the Conservative Party's obsession with marriage and Europe as wrong-headed and illiberal. The Independent reports that the Deputy Prime Minister hit back at Mr Cameron's call for the Liberal Democrats to "get off the fence" on Europe and portrayed the Conservatives as backward-looking on marriage: After Mr Cameron promised Tory MPs he would honour his long-standing pledge to bring in transferable tax allowances for married couples, Mr Clegg suggested the money would be better spent on a tax break to help working families with their child ...
Saturday saw the second annual Whickham Community Festival. organised by a group called Light Up Whickham. The group aims to bring more people to Whickham Village centre to boost business vitality and to raise funds for the Village's Christmas lights. I am a member of the group and am pleased to say that my proposal for the theme for this year - a medieval fayre - was taken up. It was my job,
In his Spending Review announcement the Chancellor announced that attendance at Job Centres would be changed to weekly instead of bi-weekly. In view of the Job Centre's policy of closing local Job Centres, in favour of forcing people to travel to their next town, (in my case, to Luton), I wondered if the Chancellor would also be increasing the allowances to redress the extra cost of travel? The cheapest current charge by Arriva is £4.20 for an all day ticket from Houghton Regis (to get to Luton), so for an unemployed person the cost of extra attendances required would amount ...
Jo Swinson has been writing for Management Today about the importance of ensuring that businesses ensure that women have equal opportunity to reach senior and board levels of companies. Women are vital to Britain's economic recovery and we need to ensure we are making full use of their talents. That's why the government is focused on removing the barriers that prevent women from getting ahead and achieving their full potential. We simply can't afford to lose out on the talents and skills of over half the population. She acknowledged progress on this but said that there was more to be ...
[IMG: millionJobsLogo2] Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg has launched the Liberal Democrats' A Million Jobs for a Stronger Economy campaign. This will highlight the Liberal Democrat successes since coming into Government in helping to create more than a million private sector jobs - with plans to create a million more. The first phase is an important new apprenticeship drive. The party's ambition is to double the number of companies offering apprenticeships from 100,000 to 200,000. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "Britain is creating jobs. I know it doesn't always feel ...
Julian joins Guide Dogs' Engagement Officer, Dave Kent and his dog Quince MP Julian Huppert is supporting a call from the Guide Dogs charity to install a safety feature on quiet electric vehicles to keep pedestrians safe. The charity is worried after research shows that some hybrid and electric vehicles cannot be heard until a second before impact and, therefore, are more likely to be involved in a collision with a pedestrian. As the number of these vehicles is increasing on the roads, the charity wants to see them fitted with artificial noise generators. Julian attended a Westminster reception where ...
There are many good reasons for reading Charles Stross's sci-fi thriller Halting State, especially if you are a particular sort of person. As one reviewer on Amazon puts it: Near the end of this book, one of the protagonists blurts, "They're tunelling TCP/IP over AD&D!" And that line is a very good test for potentials readers, because if you understand it (and why it's kind of funny), you might enjoy the book. If you're scratching your head, well, you might still enjoy the book, but you're certainly in for a whole lot more head scratching along the way. [IMG: Halting ...
Every year at Conference I get the chance to thank the people in our Party that have given the most. They're people who have worked tirelessly in their local area to make sure liberal voices are heard – or people who have given years of time and support as councillors or council leaders. They're political assistants to council groups who support Lib Dems in local government with all the valuable work they do. And they're local parties who have worked to increase representation of ethnic minorities in everything they do. This is your chance to let me know who we ...
Here's another of Ros's interventions that I hadn't covered, from 25 April 2012... Lord Kennedy of Southwark isn't wild about Government policy on roads. Given that he's a Labour peer, that doesn't come as a great surprise. However, his oral question gave Ros an opportunity to make a polite suggestion to HM Government... To ask Her Majesty's Government what lessons learned from the privatisation of British Rail they will apply to any plans for increased private investment in the United Kingdom's motorway and trunk road network. Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat) My Lords, given that the objective of ...
Tue 2nd
11:05
Wendy Davis and her Herculean filibuster (now that would be a good title for a book...)
Over the weekend I was in one of those scary positions for any person who is attached to the modern way of living. Yes you guessed it. I was internetless. You see as much as I love my sister her world does not include the internet so when I go to visit I am cut off not only because of her lack of access to the information superhighway but she also lives somewhere which isn't covered by 3G. Disaster. So on Saturday morning with both a lack of internet and a lack of Sky television (seriously I am addicted to ...
Former major Tory donor Lord Ashcroft is using his Twitter account to cause trouble once again. Australian Labour Party was about 12 points behind the Liberals. Changed leader Gillard to Rudd. Now 2 points behind!! Interesting — Lord Ashcroft (@LordAshcroft) July 2, 2013 In his replies to questions about this tweet, Ashcroft said that it ...
Here's my latest column for the Ham and High – also available on Lib Dem Voice The Liberal Democrats in Government have helped businesses create over one million jobs. Now we are working to create one million more! Work is so important to individuals and families in the UK. It pays the bills, gives us purpose and fulfilment, and provides security for our long term futures. I was so happy when I got my first job with a small design and advertising company in the West End - and my first pay packet. I remember feeling so grown up as ...
Reblogged from Audio Sexxx: From the 30 minute suite "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Modest Moussorgsky, here is the short, emphatic intro to the piece named "Promenade"
Like many urban-dwelling wine lovers I had never given much thought about how the stuff is made. I suppose if pressed I would have gueseds that you need the right climate and soil, must pick the grapes when they are ready, then put them in a blender and hey presto! Of course, it is nowhere [...]
A snapshot of some of today's headlines on Nick Clegg's comments on MPs' Pay is quite revealing. To refresh your memories, yesterday he told journalists at his new monthly press conference that he wouldn't take the proposed rise himself, that he couldn't control what other MPs so, but: But I think all MPs, whatever status they hold, whatever position they hold, will know from their own constituents that there are millions of people in the United Kingdom at the moment who've had a remorseless squeeze on their living standards for some years now and that we're asking millions of public ...
Words fail me! Image and H/T from me-me-me.tv I think this is also an excuse to show this again
BBC News - All schools to be able to set own term dates (tags: ) the genderbread person a great infographic explaining the differences between sex, gender, sexuality, etc. (tags: ) You are not your labels while I think this post makes a great point, I also think it is what a LOT of het/white/male/abled/etc men think when they say stuff like "I hate identity politics, it's divisive". It's easy to complain about divisiveness when you've never been on the "wrong" side of the divide that's always been there but you've never noticed it. (tags: ) Read my @IPPR ...
Seen in the west end last night...
[IMG: Lynne featherstone by paul walter] Over on Huffington Post, Lynne Featherstone has written an article about the heartening early successes in the campaign against female genital mutilation. She writes: "I wanted to save lives not put them at risk." That's what a former female genital cutter told me during a visit to Kenya last week, as she explained why she downed her tools and instead became a birth attendant. I believe this woman should be celebrated for taking such a brave stance against the centuries-old tradition of female genital mutilation (FGM). And she's not alone. In her home of ...
Toilets are a necessity for us all especially when we are out and about and often Parish Councils provide them in the community. Maghull once had award winning public toilets run by Sefton Borough Council in its shopping centre. Sadly, now they are down at heel because of spending cuts and frankly a lack of enthusiasm to provide the best from the Borough Council. Only months ago there was a proposal from the Borough Council to close all the public toilets in Sefton but they were given an eleventh hour reprieve following public protests. But what have we got above ...
It is refreshing to have a new governor of the Bank of England. It doesn't happen very often. Montagu Norman managed to hang onto the job for two whole decades between the wars. He was one of Jung's patients (Jung famously said he was insane) and there is a strange story about how he crossed the Atlantic in disguise as a 'Mr Skinner' in 1929, for a secret meeting with American monetary officials. The plan was supposed to have been to introduce a short monetary shock to force USA back on the gold standard. Instead it produced the Great Depression. ...
Over the past couple of days I've found myself getting involved in a campaign to reverse Hebden Royd Town Council's decision to ban the Hebden Bridge Burlesque festival from using the Picture House cinema as a venue. For anyone who doesn't know the Picture House is an art deco historic cinema that also hosts theater events and live comedy. The Cinema was recently taken over by the Town Council who run and manage it as a municipal venue for the community. It's probably one of the few municipal cinemas left in the country. Tax payers have contributed a lot to ...
From BBC News: Archaeologists have uncovered a Roman shrine at Rutland Water nature reserve. The team from Northamptonshire Archaeology investigated the site ahead of a 240-acre extension to the reserve by Anglian Water. They found the remains of an Iron Age farmstead, and a shrine dating from about AD100.The report goes on: The team discovered a circular stone building, about 10.5m (34ft) wide, with decorated red and white painted walls. They also found more than 200 Roman coins, pottery jars, part of a small bronze figurine and deposits of animal bone, probably from the ritual sacrifice of lambs and cattle. ...
Herts County Council will tell you that your data about you is safe with them. But how safe is it really? Lib Dem County Councillor Paul Zukowskyj (Hatfield South),shadow cabinet member for Corporate Issues, has raised serious questions at the HCC's audit Committee after an alarming discovery. Papers found by Paul blowing down an A road outside a recently closed depot for Adult Care Services raised serious questions as to how well the council is protecting people's private information, especially in relation to medical information and health issues. Paul commented "The material left behind by HCC when this depot closed, ...
[IMG: Screen Shot 2013-07-02 at 07.51.18] The local Police have published the latest crime statistics for the Prestwich area which show a reduction in most types of crime when compared to last year. The only type of crime which seems to have gone up is shoplifting, while some types of crime have seen a marked fall. The Police have also published their 'Community Matters' newsletter for the Bury South police area – click here to download (it's a 2 page PDF). [IMG: Screen Shot 2013-07-02 at 07.53.48] [IMG: Screen Shot 2013-07-02 at 07.53.59]
Just an update on the 'Speed Activated Sign' on Heywood Road as you travel north under the Metrolink Bridge between Rectory Lane and Heys Road. A few residents have been in touch concerned that the sign was activated significantly below the speed limit in that location (30mph) and concerned that this would cause residents to question the validity of these signed in general. Apparently it was possible to activate the sign with moderate cycling! This has been investigated by Officers fromt the Council who agree that the sign is incorrectly calibrated. Unfortunately we're going to have to wait until a ...
Road safety officers at Bury Council are inviting parents to an advice clinic on how to buy and properly install child car seats. Studies have shown that between 40%-70% of child car seats are fitted incorrectly, which means that the restraint will not work effectively in the event of a crash or the vehicle stopping suddenly. The clinic is held at ASDA Pilsworth on 22 and 23 July (10.30am to 3pm) and will provide practical advice and help. Experts from 'Child Seat Safety' will offer free car seat checks to ensure that they have been properly fitted. By law, all ...
Just to thank local residents who raised the poor provision of bins in Philip's Park, particularly noticable during some of the hot weather we have been having recently. I reported this to the Council who have now been able to provide extra bins. Please let me know if there are any other issues like this that need to be addressed. Tim [IMG: photo] [IMG: photo 2] Before and after!
We need to value the importance of a fundamental understanding of science in policy. And the public agree Recently, environment minister Owen Paterson told Britain to stop worrying and learn to love GM. "The use of GM could be as transformative as the original agricultural revolution was. The UK should be at the forefront of that now, as it was then," he said. But winning hearts and minds on this issue may not be straightforward. If we take media reactions as a barometer of public attitudes, it often appears that Britons are somewhere between indifferent and hostile towards scientific advances ...
I promised my good friend Pat Doherty to publicise the superb charity effort being undertaken by his son Chris. Some information is below and you can read more at www.run4charity.net. Run4charity are a small group of people trying to raise as much money as possible for two amazing charities. The Charities The target is to raise £10,000 for two charities: Neuroblastoma Children's Cancer Alliance - Sadie Rose Clifford Appeal. We are raising money in memory of Sadie Rose to support the Neuroblastoma charity and children & families affected by this rare form of cancer. We were deeply touched hearing about ...
Blackness House was a picturesque 17th-century mansion, desmolished before World War II. It is shown on Ordnance Survey maps of the periods in extensive grounds, and a bowling green to the south side, the North Lodge House being on Blackness Road. In 1867, J. B. Brechin published a list of paintings by the old masters in the Blackness House Gallery, which included Giotto, Bruegel, Gainsborough, Rembrandt, Raphael, Rubens and Titian. In 1894, when Alexander Wilson took this photograph, Blackness House belonged to John E. Prain, listed in the Dundee Directory as a manufacturer. James Prain and Sons, spinners and manufacturers, ...
A new planning application has been received which is within Holyrood Ward as detailed below:- Application number: 56387 Type of application: Full Date Registered: 25/06/2013 Location: 111 – 205 Baguley Court, 1 – 95 Heywood Old Court & 2 – 72 Heywood Old Court Prestwich, Manchester, M24 4QU Proposal: Erection of 4 access ladders and installation of roof top mansafe systems to four residential blocks. Plans will be available to view on the Councils' website here (use the planning application number to search). Any questions or if I can help please just get in touch.
Money, jobs and investment dominated the agenda last week. On Wednesday, the chancellor set out details of the Spending Round: the last set of savings we will have to announce in this Parliament. On Thursday, Danny Alexander followed up by announcing massive new investment in our roads, rail, housing and infrastructure. And the moment he was finished, I rushed down the road to talk with the leaders of some of Britain's biggest cities about the next wave of "city deals", devolving financial and economic power to our great urban and industrial hubs. Creating jobs. Stopping the build up of Labour's ...
